Vehicles, such as SUVs, incorporating a liftgate are well known in the art. One example of a liftgate assembly may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,827,735 to Brown et al. which is assigned to Ford Global Technologies. This document discloses a liftgate assembly incorporating an inner panel and an outer panel joined at their external peripheries by a hem joint. Typically such a liftgate is supported on telescoping gas or hydraulic struts which help to stabilize and hold the liftgate in the open position but also freely retract to allow the liftgate to be closed as desired.
Liftgates of this type must meet a number of requirements relating to torsion, rigidity, cantilevered bending, hinge stability, margin and flushness. While strength is a major consideration, the weight of the liftgate is also a major concern that substantially constrains liftgate design.
This document relates to a new and improved reinforcing plate for a liftgate and to a liftgate reinforced with that plate. Advantageously, the present liftgate includes optimized reinforcements that focus on areas of high stress concentration, where higher loads are applied. These include the ball stud anchoring points of the liftgate struts and the hinge attachment points.